Making integration work – our vision
Dorset’s integrated care system works together to deliver the best possible improvements in health and wellbeing.
Developing our first integrated care partnership strategy has involved talking with a wide range of people. Some have been leaders of our health and care organisations. Some have been people working on the frontline, providing services in the community and in hospitals. Many have been people that live and work in Dorset who we have not spoken to before, through our 100 Conversations project. We’ve asked ordinary people what keeps them well, and what more we can do to support them.
Some issues stood out clearly. Leaders agreed that our strategy should focus on helping people maximise their wellbeing, and on treating people as humans first, not patients. This must consider how we support people to have the best start in life, right through to older age. They also agreed that services or organisations should not define what this means. It should come from the conversations we have been having with people and communities.
The issues we are contending with are complex, and often the factors that drive them lie outside of the direct control of health and care services. Throughout this strategy and the research and engagement we have carried out to support it we have used three perspectives: prevention and early help, thriving communities, and working better together.
“We have a clear vision – working together to achieve the best possible improvements in the health and wellbeing of our communities. We know, from talking to you, that we need to do more to create the right
services and support you to build on community assets and networks. We can only do this by listening to you and working with you.
“Our aim is to support you to live your best lives by being more responsive and making sure that our decisions are driven by the needs of our communities. To achieve this, we need to be serious about truly
understanding how you live your lives and to work with you to design services around individuals, families and communities.”
Patricia Miller – Chief Executive Officer, NHS Dorset
To support the vision, we have used these perspectives to set out under three headings what we are doing to make this happen:
Thriving communities
We work more closely with communities and voluntary sector organisations to support you and improve your health and wellbeing. We provide more opportunities for friends, family and peer supporters to help you thrive, or to recover when you are unwell. We look at variation in how well people are supported who live with long-term conditions.
Working better together
We put people’s and communities’ needs at the heart of how we plan care and support. Our organisations work together to provide care as close to you as possible. We value the strength of voluntary and community organisations in this partnership. We focus on improving your outcomes, access, and experience, and are careful with scarce resources like time and money.
